Time to license your dog

Protect your pooches! Starting Monday November 18, 2013, San Juan County dog tags will be available to purchase. This year you can protect your dog with a purple shield.

This simple protection will assure you of being reconnected with your dog if it gets lost.

Our animal control database allows anyone to look up dog owners by dog tag number. If you find a dog, go to www.sanjuanco.com and type in “dog license search” in the search box. Once you are on the San Juan County dog license search page, type in the tag number.

The next screen will give you the dog’s name, owner’s contact numbers, and vet’s name. For owners who have included a photo of their dog in the database, someone who finds your dog will be able to verify from the picture that the dog they found is yours.

Photos can be a great help in reconnecting dog to owner.

All dogs in San Juan County are required by law to be licensed. A share of the proceeds from the fees goes to the local animal shelters for their operations.

The remainder goes into a county fund which pays the expenses of the licensing and animal control program. Part of that fund is reserved for reimbursement for livestock injured or killed by dogs.

After expenses are paid, the balance is divided between the three animal shelters for impound services.